I run a small repair shop and I'm never sure about the right moment to ask for a review. Some customers seem happy but I don't want to be pushy. When do you all ask?
Reviews
When is it reasonable to ask a customer for a review?
After the job is finished and they've had a day or two to use whatever you fixed. Asking right at pickup feels like you're standing there with your hand out.
We wait until the customer confirms everything is working. Usually that's a follow-up text the next morning. If they reply positively, that's when we send the link.
What about customers who came in for a quote and didn't buy? Do you ask them too?
No. Only paying customers. Otherwise it looks desperate.
I've had good luck asking at the end of a positive interaction,like when they say thanks or compliment the work. If they're already in a good mood, the ask feels natural rather than tacked on.
That makes sense. I think my problem is I ask too late, like a week later, and by then they've forgotten.
A week is too long in my experience. Two days max.
I disagree with some of this. If the service involved a warranty or something they might need to test over time, asking early can backfire. We do appliance installs and tell people to run it for a week before reviewing. Fewer angry edits that way.
Do you offer anything for the review? Even a small discount?
That can violate platform ruls depending on where you're asking. I'd check before offering incentives.
The review should be about the work, not the ask. If you time it right, people don't mind. If you time it wrong, they ignore it or get annoyed.
Also make sure the ask comes from the person who actually did the work. A generic email from a no-reply address gets deleted.